Education Unlimited - academic summer camps and pre-college summer programs

• How do I access the Parent Portal for enrolled families?

The Parent Portal is located at http://www.educationunlimited.com/users/login.

• Are the grade levels for your programs that are listed for the current school year or the year the student will be in the Fall?

We place the students by the grade that he or she will be entering in the fall, not by the grade level that will have been completed by the time the program starts this summer.

• Are these programs day camps or overnight camps?

Unless the camp is specifically marked as a “Day Camp” (ex: Sally Ride Science Day Camp or CAPC Day Camp) our programs are designed to be residential camps with the students living in student dormitories on the campus supervised by the instructors that are working with the students during the day. However, we do offer several day camper options at our overnight camps:

Camps designed for rising 4th - 8th graders have two commuter options:

• Day Camper (4th - 8th grade camps): While Overnight campers check in on Sunday evening, Day Campers check in on Monday morning from 8:00-8:30am and then enjoy curriculum Monday-Friday from 9am to 5pm. Meals are not provided with Day Camp Tuition -- campers can bring a sack lunch or can purchase our optional Lunch package for $40 (includes lunch in the dining hall Monday-Friday).

• Extended Day Camper (4th - 8th grade camps).  While Overnight campers check in on Sunday evening, Extended Day Campers check in on Monday morning between 8:00am and 8:30am and then enjoy curriculum and recreation Monday - Friday from  9am to 9pm, with lunch and dinner provided in the dining hall.

Camps designed for rising 9th - 12th graders have one commuter option:

• Extended Day Camper Tuition (high school camps) covers curriculum and recreation from roughly 9am to 9pm seven days a week (except check-in and check-out days), with lunch and dinner provided in the dining hall.

• What does the residential tuition cost include?

The residential tuition cost you see listed on our website or in our brochures covers overnight accommodations in the student dormitories on the campus, three meals a day in the campus dining halls, program materials and the mid-week excursion off-campus.

• Do you offer transportation to and/or from the airport if my student is traveling without a family member or guardian?

We offer an optional airport shuttle service for students traveling to camp by air without a family member or guardian ($45 one-way, $75 round-trip). Certain airports are required for certain campuses, so please contact us for details. Due to space limitations, we are unable to offer the airport shuttle to students that are traveling with their families, it is just for students that are traveling alone. Shuttle service is purchased separately from camp enrollment and you will be able to sign up for the shuttle service online when camp forms are made available for you to fill out. These forms are filled out online through the online account you created on our website at the time of application.  If your camper is required by the airline to fly as an “Unaccompanied Minor”, the charge is raised to $150 (either one-way or round-trip) due to the fact additional staff members will need to be sent to the airport to meet your student at the arrival gate, instead of at baggage claim.

• Is there a deadline to apply for your programs? When do camps fill up?

We do not have a formal application deadline for our programs. We encourage your family to sign up as quickly as possible once you know your availability this summer to ensure we will still have space available in the program session of interest. We occasionally have to close enrollment due to space limitations on the campus, so please consider signing up for the program at least 45 days prior to the camp start date.

• When is payment due in full?

You may choose to pay in full upon application or pay just the deposit amount when you apply. Payment is due in full 45 days prior to the program’s start date (60 days prior for all College Tours). If you are applying for a program less than 45 days (60 days for College Tours) from the program start date, you have 7 days to complete payment and all enrollment paperwork.

• Will you be mailing me enrollment forms for my family to complete once we’ve registered for the program and paid our deposit?

In 2010, our enrollment paperwork process was converted from mailed hard copied to an electronic process through our website. Families currently enrolled in our programs may access their enrollment packets electronically by logging in to their parent portal accounts on our website and selecting “Camp Enrollment Forms”.

• Do you offer financial aid?

Yes, the Education Unlimited Tuition Assistance Program provides partial tuition assistance awards to those who can demonstrate financial need. The largest awards will not exceed 50% of the program's total tuition. You may access more information about this program on our tuition assistance page.

• Is there an initial deposit/fee for each program?

For all College Tours, the required deposit is $995.

For other camps priced less than $2,300, a $495 deposit that is credited toward the cost of the camp is required upon application. For camps priced between $2,300 and $3,500, a $695 deposit that is credited toward the cost of the camp is required upon application. For camps priced more than $3,500, a deposit of $995 that is credited toward the cost of the camp is required upon application. For the Summer Focus program only, the deposit is $1495. This deposit is not refundable unless our Cancellation Protection Plan is purchased at the time of application. Payment for the remaining balance is due 45 days before the first day of the program (60 days for all College Tours) for which the student is enrolled. Families may pay in full upon application.

• Do you need a 3.0 GPA to apply for any of these summer camps?

Some of our programs have competitive admission standards and require a minimum 3.0 GPA to ensure students will be able to keep up with the academic rigor of the program. Programs requiring a minimum 3.0 GPA are: Summer Focus at UC Berkeley, A+ Pre-College, A+ High School, College Admission Prep Camps, and the Emerging Writers Institute. If you have applied for one of these programs, please email, fax or mail a copy of your student’s most recent transcript to our office. It can be an unofficial copy.

• If my child decided not to go, would we get our money back or any kind of refund?

Sometimes families must cancel their registration due to unforeseen circumstances and we are unable to issue refunds in such cases. We recommend that families purchase our Cancellation Protection Plan to provide for maximum possible refunds. This program provides a refund (including the normally non-refundable deposit but not the premium paid for the plan itself) if camp enrollment is cancelled by written notification prior to the start of the program. No refund is provided if the cancellation request is received after the camp begins. The total fee for the coverage plan is 10% of the total cost of the program before any discounts. You visit our refund policy page to read more about our Cancellation Protection Plan and refund policy.

• What if I need to change my camper’s session after I’ve enrolled?

Because Education Unlimited incurs many non-recoverable fees once a student has enrolled in a program, switching from one program to another is considered to be two different transactions, (1) cancellation of the first camp and (2) enrollment in the second camp. Families that have purchased the CPP for the cancelled program will be refunded the full amount due per our cancellation insurance refund schedule. For families that have not purchased this cancellation coverage, the camp fees paid are nonrefundable and cannot be transferred to the new camp.

• What are the security deposit checks for?

Two separate damage and key deposits of $125 each are required for residential campers. One damage deposit of $125 is required for commuter campers. Charges for damage to furniture or building structure will be levied against these deposits. Forfeiture of deposit will also result if keys are not returned upon departure. At the conclusion of each summer security deposit checks that have not been cashed are destroyed (usually in November or December following camp or when we have received all final billing from the universities).

Life at Camp

• What is the supervision like for these programs?

Our camps have an instructor to student ratio that averages about 1:12 over the course of the summer, but sometimes may go to 1:18 when we have an exceptionally strong instructor. There is an adult for about every ten campers at the program, and the staff generally reside in the same dormitory hallways as the students. At times, walking from the dorms to the dining hall or classes for instance, high school students may not be directly accompanied by an adult. However, our policy is that they must be in groups of at least three or more during those times. Middle school campers (grades 4-8) are usually required to walk with a staff member any time they venture outside the immediate proximity of the dorms and classroom areas. For our youngest campers, grades 4 and 5, we try to provide line of sight supervision during the daytime and when moving between buildings, but not when students use the bathroom facilities or are in the safety of their residence hall area.

• Where do the students stay on the campus?

Students will be staying on the campus in Student Dormitories while at camp. A large majority of the rooms available while at camp are double rooms, meaning your camper would have one other same sex camper sharing the dorm room. We do our best to accommodate all single room (no roommates) and triple room (three total persons) requests whenever possible. The dorms are quite secure. You must have a room key to gain access to any of the outer doors of the dormitory, as well as once inside the building.

The dorm floors are separated by sex and same sex camp staff members reside on the floors with the campers to provide evening supervision as well as being available throughout the night in the event of an emergency. The Camp Director and Assistant Director also remain on site in the dormitory for the duration of camp. Roll calls are taken each morning, before each meal begins, and before each class/activity begins. We also do two separate checks each evening. After room check is completed, we ask campers not to leave their rooms for the remainder of the evening for any reason other than emergencies or for necessary restroom visits on their floor.

• Who are your staff members?

Our instructional staff members are highly qualified, and are selected for their subject matter knowledge and enthusiasm for working with youth. Many hold a BA/BS in their area of instruction, as well as having significant classroom experience teaching this age group, and each summer a significant number of our staff hold graduate degrees and are career educators that work with students throughout the academic school year. In some cases, such as with debate teachers, we may hire instructors who are undergraduates with unusually strong subject matter knowledge and experience. Our counselors, whose primary duties are to lead recreation activities and provide additional supervision, are generally entering their junior or senior year in college and studying the academic subjects being taught at the camp. 

• How many students are there maximum per class?

Most classes have approximately twelve to eighteen students, but there are also full-camp lectures, projects and events during camp that cause the class size to fluctuate according to activity.

• What time is the check-in on the first day of camp? Where do I go on the campus?

This information is not confirmed until two weeks prior to the program start date. As soon as we have received this information, we will notify families with an announcement in the Parent Portal. Check-in times normally occur during a two hour window of time between the hours of 1pm and 5pm on the first day of the camp. Check out is completed by 12:00pm on the last day of the program.

• Is there a suggested packing list available for campers?

We release our Camp Information Packet, which includes a detailed packing list, approximately 3-6 weeks before the start of each camp session. This will be emailed out to parents when it is ready, and (after it is released) will be available in the online Parent Portal in the Resources section. This list is quite detailed and includes items that will make your child's stay at camp more comfortable. However, please note that typically no special supplies are needed -- just casual clothes and basic school supplies. Students attending a camp at Stanford will need to bring their own bedding for an XL twin sized bed; most other campuses provide linens and towels.

• What happens on the weekends?

We treat the weekends just like a regular day of camp. We hold classes and activities along the same schedule as if it were a week day.

• Can we request that my female camper and her friend be roommates?

Yes. So long as both girls make the mutual request in writing on our Camper Questionnaire form we will do our best to accommodate the request. Once you've applied, your family will complete an electronic enrollment packet of forms to fill out (medical information, rules agreement, etc) and among those forms is a camper questionnaire with a field to request a roommate. If there are more than two girls we will do our best to room them together or near each other, but not all dormitories have rooms larger than doubles. Male campers may also request to be roommates with other male campers. There is no co-ed room sharing option available as we house our male and female campers in separate areas of the dormitories.

• How do you handle dietary restrictions, medication, and health issues?

• Can we visit them at camp as long as we don't disrupt the class? Can we visit them at the dorm?

If arrangements are made in advance, parents may make brief visits to their children during camp, though not during class time so there is not a disruption to the other campers. Visits, or arrangements to pick up your camper for a meal can be coordinated with the camp director. On the first day of camp, parents and family members are welcome to help their children move into the dorm room. Many of our programs host a final presentation of the work they’ve done over the week on the final morning of the program (except for Summer Focus, Test Prep and College Tour programs).